"William, It Was Really Nothing"
(Morrissey/Marr)

 

These words are transcribed without permission the way they appear in the "Hatful Of Hollow" album. Additions to the printed lyrics are in darker text while omissions are striken out.

The rain falls hard on a humdrum town
this town has dragged you down
oh, the rain falls hard on a humdrum town
this town has dragged you down
and everybody's got to live their life
and God knows I've got to live mine 1
God knows I've got to live mine
William, William it was really nothing
William, William it was really nothing
It was your life

How can you stay with a fat girl who'll say:
"Would you like to marry me
 and if you like you can buy the ring"
she doesn't care about anything
would you like to marry me
and if you like you can buy the ring
I don't dream about anyone
except myself
William, William it was really nothing
William, William.

 

1 When Morrissey included this song in his live solo sets at the end of 2006 and in early 2007 he usually sang "I'm here trying to live me" or "I'm here, I'm trying to live me".

 

Quotes

"I haven't managed to work out his exact angle on that one yet. Usually his lyrics are very much black and white to me, but this one is taking a little bit longer. 'William' is quite a whimsical song really. I don't think it's broken all the rules in pop music, but to start a song with a short verse and then follow it with three choruses is quite good."
- Johnny Marr, on the gay implications of 'William,' Earsay, 1984

"What 'William, It Was Really Nothing' is about is... it occurred to me that within popular music if ever there were any records that discussed marriage they were always from the female's standpoint - female singers singing to women: whenever there were any songs saying 'do not marry, stay single, self-preservation, etc'. I thought it was about time there was a male voice speaking directly to another male saying that marriage was a waste of time... that, in fact, it was 'absolutely nothing'."
- Morrissey, source unknown